Swiatek multiplies her confidence: "I hope to play two more matches this week"

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After this Wednesday's performance at the WTA 1000 in Rome, I think nobody has any doubts that this Iga Swiatek is not the same as a few months ago. Nor the one from 2025. The Pole is in the semifinals and dresses as the major contender to beat.

This is how it should always be when the clay court season arrives, but even a talent like Iga Swiatek has had some low moments. Everything changed since Francis Roig joined her team a few months ago and started to guide her career. In this WTA 1000 in Rome, where her physical condition has allowed her to compete smoothly, the draw has pushed her to the semifinals effortlessly. Today, with a tremendous rout against Pegula in just 68 minutes. It's normal that we start to see her as the top favorite, even though she throws some curveballs in press conferences.

I don't know about others, but in my view, she's getting close to her previous position in many past springs. Mind you, I'm not saying she's back to playing at her highest level on the court, but considering how her rivals are performing right now, and seeing how much she's improving in recent matches – let alone if she ends up lifting another title in Rome – I believe it's fair to talk about Swiatek as the top player to beat in Paris. If she keeps playing like this week, let's see who can stop her.

Assessment of a 68-minute victory

"I'm very happy with the match; from the beginning, I felt I could dictate in every exchange. Tactically, I think I had a very good performance, I did things sensibly, feeling the ball very well at every moment. I simply focused on going out there, seizing my opportunity, and never losing that confidence."

A different victory against Pegula

"I think Jessica tried to play a bit differently today, maybe more similar to how she played a couple of years ago, like a more typical clay-court player. I guess all the things we practiced eventually clicked in these recent matchups. On my part, I'm feeling that power I can unleash when I put a lot of spin on the ball, when I generate all that power from my wrist."

She needs to improve her serve, but it's not urgent

"Honestly, I feel there's not as much pressure with the serve on clay, as it's not easy to get free points. I know I have a really solid baseline game, so even if my serve becomes somewhat average, not causing much damage, I know I still have the possibility to control what happens in the point. That's why I don't think the serve is as crucial here; I believe that the placement of serves is more important than the speed because the ball bounces quite a bit even when serving at 180."

Closer to her best form

"When you play well, when you feel the ball well, when you do all the right things, that's when you start to feel that click. It's easier to enjoy then, and right now, I'm enjoying it. There are tournaments where you enjoy, but there are also others where you feel you're playing terribly. You need to accept everything that can happen and move forward, work to have a new chance to play well next time. Here I can assure you that I'm feeling very good."

Perfect week before Roland Garros

"The goal here remains the same, to play as many matches as possible. I'm happy to have the opportunity to do so because I felt I wasn't playing at all compared to last season. I'm happy to be spending time on the court, playing really solid matches against the best girls. Surely that gives me confidence to practice as much as possible; otherwise, you can feel a bit rusty when the moment of truth arrives. Right now, I'm happy I've played so many matches, and I hope to play two more matches here."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Swiatek multiplica su confianza: “Espero jugar dos partidos más esta semana”